7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.8 |
Samson and Delilah live in an isolated community in the Central Australian desert. When tragedy strikes, they are forced to leave home and embark on a journey of survival.
Director: Warwick ThorntonForeign | 100% |
Drama | 65% |
Romance | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Winner of Camera d’Or award for best first feature film at the Cannes Film Festival, Warwick Thornton's "Samson and Delilah" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include behind the scenes featurette; Q&A session with director Warwick Thornton; cast and crew interviews; four short films directed by Warwick Thornton; and trailers. In English and Warlpiri, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Alone
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer,
Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment.
This is a very strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is excellent, clarity impeccable and contrast levels very impressive throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is also striking - yellows, blues, greens, brown, blacks and whites are lush and well saturated yet natural looking. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are never a serious issue of concern. I also did not see any disturbing traces of banding or artifacting. There are no serious stability issues either. In fact, blown through a digital projector the image is one of the tightest and crispest I have ever seen on Blu-ray; it is indeed quite remarkable. Finally, I did not see any transfer related anomalies to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with portions of Warlpiri) and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Trinity Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, however, they appear only when Warlpiri is spoken.
There is an extremely limited amount of dialog in Samson and Delilah, and my impression is that the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track serves the film as best as it possibly can. Generally speaking, the rear channels are not overly active but nevertheless effective, and the bass strong and punchy (there is one specific scene during the second half of the film that caught me by surprise where the bass is notably strong). The little dialog there is in the film is clean, stable, crisp and easy to follow.
The English LPCM 2.0 fares very well against the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. During the footage from the outback I could hardly distinguish the two. There are, however, a few scenes where the depth and slightly stronger dynamic amplitude of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track are preferable.
Note: The supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.
Q&A - a short introduction to the film by director Warwick Thornton. The director also recalls what it was like to grow up on the streets of Alice Springs. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, PAL).
Interviews - a collage of short interviews with director Warwick Thornton (10 min), producer Kath Shelper (7 min), actress Marissa Gibson (2 min), and actor Rowan McNamara (3 min). In English, not subtitled.
Behind the scenes - raw footage from the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).
Short films - four short films by director Warwick Thornton:
-- Green Bush (2005), winner of the Panorama Short Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, follows a young Australian Aboriginal DJ as he makes an important discovery. In English, not subtitled. Color. (27 min).
-- Payback (1996) is about an imprisoned Aboriginal man who has a strange vision. B&W. (11 min).
-- Nana (2007), winner of Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, is about a young girl living in Alice Springs. In English, not subtitled. Color. (6 min).
-- Mimi (2002) a hilarious about white art collectors with plenty of money and very little taste. In English, not subtitled. Color. (15 min).
Trailers -
-- UK theatrical trailer - (3 min).
-- Survival international trailer - (2 min).
Samson and Delilah is a work of great beauty, a film that has rightfully made many Australians proud. I urge you to consider adding it to your libraries as soon as you can. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment, looks and sounds fantastic. It is also loaded with terrific supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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